


This Fire In My Skin

by Zana_Zira



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Boys In Love, Caretaking, Caring Ignis Scientia, Fever, Fever Dreams, Gladio Is A Self-Sacrificing Idiot and Ignis Loves Him, Gladnis, Hallucinations, Hurt Gladiolus Amicitia, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Poison, Status Effects
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:48:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 725
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26373736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zana_Zira/pseuds/Zana_Zira
Summary: "Flames. A burning, searing, all-encompassing inferno. Gladiolus Amicitia was on fire, agonizing red-hot lightning shooting through his veins like molten metal with every beat of his heart."In which Gladio suffers for his heroism, and Ignis is right by his side to care for him when he needs it most.
Relationships: Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia
Comments: 4
Kudos: 41





	This Fire In My Skin

Flames. A burning, searing, all-encompassing _inferno_.

Gladiolus Amicitia was on fire, agonizing red-hot lightning shooting through his veins like molten metal with every beat of his heart.

He couldn’t bear to open his eyes – if he did, they’d crumble away to ash in the face of this terrible blaze, he knew they would.

Instead, he kept them closed as tightly as he could, jaw locked like a vise as air hissed between his clenched teeth in staccato gasps. Even fresh air couldn’t cool him – it was thick as tar, and it tasted of soot.

Something wrapped itself around his hand and he squeezed _hard_ , giving no thought to what he was touching because it didn’t matter, as long as it could take some of the pain away it _didn’t matter_.

He heard a voice – his name, over and over, an unholy melody sung by Ifrit himself, and he shuddered and fought to block it out, keep that hellfire from burning his mind right along with his body.

It was no good. The Infernian just sang louder, Gladio’s own name howling around him like a tempest, enveloping him in ash and ember until it was all he could hear, all he could think.

Gladio… Gladio… Gladio… Gladio…

_“Gladio!”_

The Shield of the King came to with a gasp and choked, rolling onto his side as he coughed and heaved and fought to bring his breathing back to normal. There was no fire here now, no soot filling his lungs. He could breathe, he could breathe, he could _breathe_ …

After a few moments his vision cleared and his gasping slowed, and he was finally able to work up the courage to open his eyes and take in his surroundings.

Canvas walls, dim light of a campfire pouring in through an opening beside him, a soft bedroll beneath him – a haven, then. And at his back, still holding his hand and still calling his name –

“Gladio, are you alright? Come now, come back to me, love.”

_Ignis._

Gladio rolled onto his back, too tired to raise his head, and his heart leapt when he saw those sparkling emerald eyes looking back at him, Ignis’s soft lips parting over perfect white teeth as a relieved huff of laughter slipped between them.

“Heya, Iggy.”

“Hello, Gladiolus,” the tactician answered fondly. He reached out and brushed his hand over Gladio’s cheek, and the last of the fire in his body receded in an instant, extinguished by the cool and calm of its namesake.

“What’d I miss? The others doin’ okay?” Gladio rasped, still groggy as his gaze roved over the interior of the tent in search of the other two members of their retinue.

“Shh,” Ignis soothed, gesturing toward the opening of the tent. “They’re right as rain, thanks to you. Do you remember what happened?”

“I, uh… not really.”

“We were hunting a herd of Mushussu. You were envenomated while protecting Noct from the toxic barbs, and by the time we finished them off you were already incoherent and in the throes of a high fever. Even after administering two antidotes, it took hours to break. You had us all quite worried,” he added in a much softer voice.

“I’m sorry, Iggy,” Gladio rumbled, eyelids already growing heavy again as exhaustion fought to pull him back under.

Ignis leaned forward and touched his lips to Gladio’s own in a kiss as gentle and light as a butterfly lighting on a flower, and then pressed another to his forehead for good measure. “It’s already forgiven.” He stretched himself out on the bedroll beside Gladio, pressing himself flush against the Shield’s side and placing his left hand protectively over his heart. “Sleep now, love. I’ll be here when you wake.”

“Way ahead of you,” Gladio yawned, already beginning to drift off in Ignis’s embrace. “Love ya, Iggy.”

Ignis chuckled and hugged him tighter. “And I love you.”

Gladio never saw the two grinning faces peeking in at them through the opening of the tent, one of them wielding a camera, nor did he see Ignis give them both a glare so fierce that Prompto nearly fell over backwards as he and Noctis sprinted back to their camp chairs to play King's Knight instead. All he knew was he was warm, content, and _safe_ , and at that moment that was all that mattered.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I have no idea where this dramatic little ficlet even came from. I was going to work on a half-finished Brotherhood-era fic, but this just sort of happened instead. I'm going to blame the sinus pressure-induced headache I was sporting last night. Yeah, let's go with that. XD


End file.
